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Boulevard du 30 Juin, Arret VodaCom, Gombe Division, Kinshasa.
Children
Children are among vulnerable people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the mortality rate of children is too high to the point it is still a miracle for a child to reach 5 years in DRC but also there is a high mortality rate of children from 5-15 years. Children are victims of the consequences of wars, many do not access adequate medical treatment because on the absence of health centers and in some cases health centers are not equipped, lack specialists and medicine among other factors.
“We do not have enough to give them, but also not doing something is dangerous and risky for all these children, at least presence once in while brings smiles, hope and helps the children to play the whole day and forget that they have problems”, Joyceline in charge of Humanitarian Programme”
Children are paying a high price of the war, not only they are displaced, they also lost their relatives and guardians and cannot continue with their education.
Ethnic Violence between Yaka and Teke started in 2022 over control of land and has now claimed hundreds of innocents lives. Those who survived are in various IDP Camps and others in refugee camps in the Republic of Congo.
During the attacks while children were killed alongside men, women were generally raped and sexually abused and killed also.
Some of the survival in Maluku near Kinshasa are composed of 65% children who lost their parents, 30% of women and 5% of men.
During various games this young child told us “we have been here for one year and a half, and we have never seen someone coming to visit us and play with us. Please stay with us because when you go, we shall have not have things to use in various games. I have not eaten since morning but I’m feeling hungry yet because I still want to play”.
Lack of education
We had more than 100 children both girls and boys who do not go to school from all ages background and should have been at school. They lack everything (Clothes, Shoes, Exercise Books, Pens, Food, and Uniforms among others), for some since 2022 they have never been to school and the hopes of studying are gradually melting down. Young girls as early as possible of 9 years are already involved in sexual activities in order to survive with only one need to be covered “getting something to eat”. The place is much known for cheap sexual activities as cheap as 1,000 CF. During the discussions this young girl told us “We have nothing else to do, if we do not do that, we cannot have food. You think 1,000 is small but for us it is not, we do survive on that, and sometimes getting it is not easy. We are not the only women looking for money from men in this town, and sometimes men are not there, we are far from city, so to get a man who will give you that money is a chance”.
In regard of this, they are opportunities that may be exploited such as empowering and supporting women in the site/camp to be the guardians of the children, support all these children to go back to school and come up with projects that can focus on economic empowerment of adults in this place.
Here are Internally Displaced Persons children in North Kivu during our Porridge distribution to malnourished in the Camps.
DRC has a big growing number of unaccompanied minors, children on the streets, orphans, children leaving with one single parent, and children who are taking care of other children.
We are working on various interventions in order to address the problems of children in DRC. We are promoting the creation of centers which can host children in difficult situations, awareness activities about the rights of children, advocating for quality health services and access to education, we are also strengthening already existing community initiatives that protect children.
The Province of Kinshasa will be our headquarters for all our children activities in DRC and on top of existing international days, we shall put in place a particular national day to commemorate the situation of children especially those in difficult conditions.
